Never Say Never
by Whisper Sweet Nothings
Summary: Bella works in a cafe where she can't help but notice a certain brooding, troubled man that always comes in. As they eventually get to know each other, will their pasts help one another, or make everything worse? Could their secrets destroy everything?
1. Chapter 1

**Here's the new story! I'm very excited about it, and I hope you all like it as much as I do, especially as the story progresses. It's all human, and I guess it's also considered AU.**

**Thankfully, Feenrai has agreed to beta this story, too, so BIG thank you to her! =D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters..and to my knowledge, I don't think there's a "Java Good Day" coffee shop or cafe...but if there is, I'm not trying to steal their name, either.**

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_In the silence you stare at the world_  
_Your eyes are screaming to be heard_  
_I want to learn you inside out_

(Learn You Inside Out - Lifehouse)

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**Chapter 1**

"Have a good day!" I smiled brightly.

As soon as the customer was gone, my smile faded. I have had to say that line so many times within the past four months that it's become nothing more than a chore. But more than that, it's become an annoying reminder that I, myself, have not had a single good day in years.

Nevertheless, as I approached the next customer to bring them their bill, I plastered that same fake smile on my face.

That's how things were at Java Good Day. Always with the pleasantries, always on your best behavior, and - despite how much of a pain some of the customers could be at times - always polite.

One of its main redeeming qualities was the money I made working there. I needed to work somewhere in order to pay the rent. Thankfully, Aro had pity on me when I applied for this job. He hired me and at the time I had desperately needed it.

At the age of twenty three, I've discovered it's not easy to live on your own in Chicago. Some may say that I chose to move out and live on my own at the age of eighteen, whereas others would say I had no choice. But to me, it truthfully didn't matter whether I had a choice or not, because all I wanted was to leave. And at the time, Chicago seemed like a good idea. It was far away from Jacksonville, Florida, and it was also the farthest I could go with the limited money I had saved up.

I had immediately looked for jobs, and had also gone through quite a few. At my last job, I was told they were over staffed and that, therefore, I was being let go. So I applied everywhere that would accept an application, stating I would be willing to work all hours if necessary.

At this point in time, I was glad that I had agreed to that and was hired here. I met my roommate after a week of working here with her and she offered to let me move in with her and split the rent. Not only did that substantially help me money wise, but it also meant I was able to live somewhere nicer--instead of the tiny, mold-infested apartment I had first found that I could afford on my limited income.

The second reason I was glad to be working here, all hours, was that I usually got stuck with the evening shift. Within my third week of working here, I noticed that every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday the same man would come in and sit down at a table in my section. He would always have two coffees - one cream, three sugar - before leaving to go about his life.

As much as I tried to deny it, he was very attractive. Tousled bronze hair, full lips, chiseled cheekbones, strong jaw. I found him fascinating whenever he came in, which was usually around 11pm. He would come in, always trying to sit at the same table if it was available, and wait to have his order taken. But as he would wait, his lips would be pursed pensively, his eyes troubled and brooding, and his shoulders seeming slouched in what I assumed to be defeat, as his fingers ran aimlessly through his hair, disheveling it even more. When I would place his coffee down in front of him, he would nod his thanks and then continue to stare into the cup, as though it would hold the answers to all of life's mysteries.

And that's why today -- Friday night, around 10pm -- I was shocked, as that very same man walked in the door and again took his usual, vacant table towards the back of the shop.

After taking a minute to assess that I had tended to the few customers who were actually here at this time of night on a Friday, I made my way over to his table.

Upon a quick glance, I could already tell that he seemed more troubled than usual.

"What can I get for you?" I asked, still shocked by his presence. Never before had I seen him come here any day other than those specific three days a week, and always at the same time. Yet, here he was on a Friday night.

He sat in silence for a moment, his right hand sitting on top of the table, his long fingers idly tracing the grain of the wood, while his other hand was propping up his head--his elbow on the table. He sighed, before he lifted his eyes to meet mine.

They were a vividly bright green, but even at a glance, you could see the conflict within them. I almost gasped at the intensity within them, until he spoke words I didn't expect, his eyes still never leaving mine.

"Do you ever wonder how it's possible for one person to have such an impact on others' lives?" His tone was soft, just loud enough to hear over the hum of background noise created by the other customers.

Clearly, this was not a rhetorical question. He was staring up at me intently, his expression forlorn.

"I -- uh -- what?" I spluttered. I could feel my face scrunch up in confusion.

"Do you ever wonder...how one person can affect others' lives so entirely?" he rephrased, his gaze still unwavering as he lifted his head from its perch on his hand, giving me his full attention.

I considered his words. I tried figuring out why he could possibly be asking me this, because it was so random. Especially considering the only words I had ever heard him speak were 'coffee, please -- one cream, three sugar,' so this…this profound question…threw me for a loop.

"I still don't know what you're talking about," I responded quietly, feeling completely foolish and baffled. How could I even answer his question?

He quirked up one side of his mouth into an amusedly mischievous, crooked smile. He tilted his head to the side, as though considering something, before he looked around the cafe, his eyes landing on something across the room.

"See them?" he discreetly pointed. I followed the direction of his gaze, and saw a table of three men, one of which appeared to be animatedly telling a story, while the other two laughed, the conversation easy and light. "Do you think that the other two would still have as good of a time if the third guy wasn't there with them, or do you think the dynamic between them would change?" he questioned.

I considered that for a moment, still staring at the three men. The one telling the story did appear to be the life of the party, so to speak. And the other two seemed content to just simply sit back and listen, letting the other guy take the reigns.

"Is there a right or wrong answer?" I pondered aloud, biting my lip. If there was a right or wrong answer, or at least a specific answer he was looking for, I didn't want to humiliate myself by giving the wrong one.

A low chuckle emanated from his lips, the smirk again returning as he turned his gaze back to me. "No. Not at all. I was just hoping for your opinion, and some insight," he flashed me a sincere smile now.

"I think...it would affect their dynamic. He seems to be the life of the party, while they just sit back and listen, not really contributing..." I almost mumbled, still feeling entirely unsure about this conversation.

"Okay, so you agree that one person can entirely affect other people's lives. But have you ever wondered _why _or_ how_ that is? Why one person can have that much of an affect on others, by just simply..._being_?" he questioned, and again, the intensity and confusion was swirling within his eyes as he looked at me for an answer.

Now it was my turn to purse my lips as I thought of how to answer. "I would think it would also depend on how close the people are. If they're close, if they care about the person...what that person does would affect them. Sometimes in good ways, sometimes...bad," I whispered the last word, as I let my gaze fall to rest on my shoes. I bit my lip, chewing it anxiously, as too many memories that I didn't wish to focus on came whirling to the forefront of my mind.

I swallowed thickly, before bringing my eyes back up, only to see him, appearing to contemplate my words. But, in the wake of the current memories flooding out of the closet they were securely locked in, within my subconscious, I knew I needed to change the subject -- fast.

"So...what can I get for you?" It was the most effective for redirecting our conversation, and for the first time in a long time, I was glad to have to ask that question.

His eyes snapped up to mine, clearly not expecting the abrupt switch in topics, but quickly recovered, his face now impassive. "Umm...coffee, please -- one cream, three sugar," he requested, which I had already anticipated and written down on my order pad. I was ready to turn and retrieve his order when he added, "And a cranberry muffin."

I stopped in my tracks, my eyes shooting up to his, and my jaw dropping slightly. I realize it was probably an overreaction, but today seemed to be full of surprises concerning this mystery man sitting in front of me. First, he shows up on a day and time that he never has before, and then, instead of ordering...asks me ridiculously profound questions, and now...he doesn't just want coffee, he also wants _a muffin_.

"You're actually getting food?" I asked, disbelief clearly written on my face. He probably thought I was looking at him as though he had two heads, with the look I imagined I must have been giving off.

Clearly amused, he smirked at me, his eyes lighting up, and clearing of the dark, stormy chaos that usually swirls within them. "Am I not allowed?"

"No! -- I mean, yes!" I took a breath to focus. "Sorry, I meant, yes, you're allowed," I confirmed, feeling my cheeks flush with heat as I clearly made a fool of myself. "You just...never do."

"I've never been hungry while I was here," he shrugged, an impish grin on his face, making him look like a little boy.

I felt a hesitant smile creep up on my face, too. "I'll have that ready for you in a minute."

He gave me a small nod, with his eyes still on me, as I turned and went to the front counter where the to-go orders were dealt with, along with where the inside orders were made.

I grabbed one of the clean plates, and placed his cranberry muffin on it, before making his coffee. As I was stirring it, I glanced up in the mystery man's direction. I was met with the usual sight: his lips pursed, as though he was contemplating something, and his eyes still echoing some kind of unknown pain as his fingers swept through his hair. Except this time...his eyes were focused on me, instead of off into space, or staring at the table, as they usually would be.

Quickly looking back down, I grabbed his order and made my way back to his table.

Again, he surprised me when, as I set it down in front of him, he actually spoke. "Thank you..." he trailed off, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Bella," I told him.

"Bella," he smiled. "I thought it was only right that I know your name, after our conversation earlier. Besides, we see each other often enough," he added with a hint of playfulness.

"We do." I couldn't help but smile. "Enjoy," I added, nodding to his coffee and muffin, before giving him another quick smile, and turning to tend to some new customers who had just walked in.

Time seemed to drag on, and despite my better judgment, I kept stealing glances in the mystery man's direction, whose name, I realized, I still did not know, despite him now knowing mine. But, what I kept seeing when I stole those glances, was that he seemed to be watching me.

It was becoming slightly unnerving, knowing that his eyes were on me. It wasn't that his steady gaze was scaring me. It was just getting a little uncomfortable, and beginning to unnerve me. But, I tried to push that feeling aside, and just focus on serving the rest of the customers in the cafe. Until, of course, I realized that Mr. Mystery seemed to be done and in need of his bill, I assumed, based on the way he was looking at me.

I approached his table again, already starting to write out his bill as I walked towards him. "Is that all for you today?" I questioned, knowing that he usually always had two cups of coffee, but today, only had one.

He nodded, with a faint smile on his lips.

I finished totaling his amount, and placed it down in front of him. He immediately pulled out his wallet, giving me six dollars, which was more than his total.

"The rest is your tip," he explained quietly, his playful demeanor from earlier now pretty much gone.

"Thank you," I told him, keeping my tone polite, and more reserved again.

As he stood up to leave, with a false cheerfulness, and a fake smile, I said, "have a good day!" But as soon as my words met his ears, he immediately turned back around, a slightly hard look in his eyes.

"You know you don't have to say that to me each time, right?" he implored, as his eyes seemed to scan my face, and his eyes became troubled once more.

"I'm supposed to," I explained weakly, since I hated that line, and the fake cheerfulness that had to go along with it -- orders of Aro. If I had my way, I wouldn't have to say it at all.

"Well...I won't tell if you won't. It can be our little secret," he said, with that same previous mischievous twinkle in his eye, and a faint smirk.

I simply nodded, unsure of what to say. Inside, I was happy to not have to say that horrible line anymore. Though, I suppose if I looked on the bright side, it was better than having to say "Java good day!". Regardless, I was happy to not have to say the required departing line whenever Mr. Mystery left the cafe.

He turned back around, taking a few steps in the direction of the door. But before he had gotten too far away, he looked over his shoulder at me, as I stood there, starting to clean up his table.

"And, Bella?" My head snapped back in his direction. "I'm Edward. It was nice to meet you," he gave me a small, but pleasant smile -- enough to show he meant it, I think.

With that, he walked out the door, not even waiting for a response from me.

"Edward," I whispered inaudibly to myself, committing his name to memory.

I now finally had a name to go along with the face.

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By 1AM, my shift was over, and I quickly walked down the cold, windy Chicago streets, letting it calm my thoughts. I felt a shudder roll through me--and it wasn't from the cold. My earlier conversation with Edward still brought up some memories I didn't wish to think about ever again.

"Rose?" I called out to my roommate, as I got to the apartment, and let myself in. "You home?"

"Hey Bella!" she called, her voice floating down the hallway from what sounded like her bedroom. A few seconds of silence later, she popped her head out from around her bedroom door. "I'm home, but not for long. I'm getting ready to go out with Emmett."

I had to stifle a laugh, as her long blonde hair was half up in rollers, and half haphazardly falling in her face. She expelled a puff of air from her lips, attempting to blow a wayward strand out of her face.

"Need help?" I questioned, still eyeing her hair, and noticing that she also still wore sweat pants underneath her dress.

"Sure," she shrugged. She turned to go back into her bedroom and left her door open for me to follow.

I didn't mind conversations and situations like this with Rosalie. She was easy to talk to, for the most part; nevertheless, I wouldn't dare tell her about my past. She knew the basics: where I was from, who my parents were, where I grew up. As long as there were no details, I was fine with it. Which is exactly why situations like this with Rosalie didn't bother me in the least, because the conversations were also kept light, and she never pushed me for information.

So I did what I always do to keep her focus off of me: I asked her about her own life--especially her boyfriend, Emmett, whom she has been seeing for a while now, and seems to be crazy about. It was a topic that always got her talking.

"So where are you and Emmett going?" I prodded, as I started to take the remaining rollers out of her hair.

"Not sure. He wouldn't tell me. He just told me to, and I quote, "get dolled up," and that he would pick me up. He's been working like crazy at the garage lately, especially since he's been trying to fix up his jeep. He's been staying there most of the day, so we've barely gotten to see each other this week. That's why he decided that tonight we would see each other, regardless of it being," she paused to check her delicate silver watch, "close to two in the morning." She let out a chuckle.

"That's good. I'm sure you're both dying to see each other," I wanted her to keep talking.

I was, thankfully, almost done with her hair. But unfortunately, my reason for knowing how to do hair, or dealing with rollers was not something I wanted to be thinking about; especially not after my conversation earlier with Edward.

_"Hair and makeup, Bella. Now. You're going out in fifteen minutes," he demanded, as he handed me random beauty products -- none of which I usually used. _

_"I don't usually wear makeup," I replied weakly. He had never done this before, and I didn't understand why it was necessary._

_"Well, now you do. You could use some more color. Some more allure. You're too pale. Too plain," he spoke harshly. He pointed his finger in the direction of the stairs, before turning his gaze back to me. "Now go make yourself look good."_

I shuddered at the memory.

"I'm done," I said quietly to Rose. She turned her attention to the mirror. Her face lit up in a large smile. She beamed, examining her reflection more closely, and playing with a random curl in her hair.

"Thank you! It looks great."

And it did. She looked gorgeous, like some kind of blonde goddess. She was all long blonde hair, long legs, and extravagant curves. She made the words from the memory all the more obvious. I looked like a plain, pitiful zombie. My skin was ghostly pale, and my eyes were rimmed with darkness that was not produced by makeup. My eyes themselves were dull and lifeless, and my dark hair just hung around my face. I really did lack allure, or any kind of beauty.

With a defeated sigh, I turned and began to leave Rose's room. "I'll let you finish getting ready," I tried to add a smile.

She didn't turn around from the mirror, but hummed in acknowledgement of my words, as she reapplied some lip gloss. I quickly left her room, going into my own and changing into some yoga pants and a tank top, making myself comfortable. After quickly making a sandwich, I went and sat down in front of the TV, hoping to find something -- anything -- to focus on, other than my own thoughts.

I finished my sandwich, and still, I found nothing of interest on TV. I guess that was only to be expected, given the time. Regardless, I continued to surf the channels, looking for anything, until a loud knock on the door resonated through the room.

"Okay, Emmett's here. I'm out of here!" Rose called, as she ran from her bedroom to the door. She paused, taking a breath, and smoothing out her dress, before turning to look at me in my spot on the couch. "Don't wait up," she winked, before opening the door and leaving.

After the soft click of the lock being turned into place, I sat there in the silent and empty room.

Alone for the rest of the night.

That gave me both peace and quiet, and some time to myself...but it also gave me time with nothing but my thoughts and my memories.

Being alone was both a blessing and a curse.

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**So...there's the first chapter! What did you guys think? Leave a review, and let me know if you're interested in the story! I'm anxious to hear your thoughts =).**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who bothered to read the first chapter, and especially to those of you who reviewed. I also apologize there was such a long wait for this chapter, but...due to lots of chaotic and also upsetting things in my life, it couldn't be helped. I'm hoping you're still interested, despite the wait. I'm still looking forward to continuing this story, so hopefully you're still looking forward to reading it, lol. So...here's the second chapter!**

**Feenrai**** beta'd this, and she's amazing, so thank you, Feenrai =). I so appreciate everything you do.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or the characters...or Java Good Day, if there is a cafe by that name. I'm not trying to steal anything...except for my sanity back.**

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_So this is where you are  
And this is where I am  
Somewhere between  
Unsure and a hundred_

(Hundred - The Fray)

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**Chapter 2**

The days following my first official meeting with Edward were much of the same, though slightly uneventful. That is, if you don't include the unpleasant dreams that seemed to be littering my sleep the past few days. If Rose noticed the dark circles under my eyes, she didn't comment, and for that I was thankful.

On the following Sunday and Tuesday, when he came in on his regular days, things went back to normal with no other conversation, aside from taking his order. The only difference was that now he would offer me a smile and would greet me by name as I approached his table to take his order.

I didn't mind the familiarity of the situation, or the absence of the unexpectedly odd, and deep questions or conversations. I didn't mind routine, always knowing what to expect. To me, it helped make things easier.

Unfortunately for me, what I wasn't expecting was a group of frat guys coming into the cafe on Thursday evening. Their voices rang throughout the space, as they talked loudly, laughed at ridiculous things, and made fun of one another. I tried my best to tune out their excessively loud noise and chatter, not wanting to deal with the headache that would follow.

It was after they had been there for about twenty minutes, having yet to order, that Edward walked in and took his usual table in the corner.

My eyes found his for a moment, and since I wasn't tending to any other customers, I went over to take his order.

"Hi, Bella," he smiled as I got to his table.

"Hi, Edward," I offered in return today, using his name to his face for the first time, though I couldn't bring myself to smile, as I kept my eyes down.

"Could I please get a coffee? One cream, three sugar." His hand began to idly trace the patterns in the grain of wood again, and I knew if I looked at him, I would see his eyes already beginning to cloud over with what I assumed were troubling thoughts.

"Coming right up," I informed him, and chanced a glance up. As predicted, his eyes weren't as clear as they were a moment ago, and already, he seemed slightly lost in thought. I decided to continue with the routine, leaving to retrieve his order.

Apparently, the frat guys had other ideas. As I went to walk past their table, one of them called out to me, making me stop in my tracks, as I gritted my teeth.

"Yo, waitress girl! Bring me a coke!"

"Coming right up," I repeated again, forcing the words out through clenched teeth, to avoid saying anything that could get me fired.

I walked over to the counter, preparing both Edward's order, and the frat guy's. When I finished, I held the coke in one hand, and balanced Edward's coffee in the other. Seeing as the frat table was closer, and on my way to Edward, I stopped at their table first.

"One coke," I said tonelessly, as I tried to ignore whatever they were talking about. I went to place the glass of dark liquid on the table in front of the guy who had ordered it. He sat towards the wall, with his blonde friend sitting beside him on the outside of the table. To make it easier, I simply reached over the otherwise empty table and went to place the glass in front of him.

As I placed the glass down, however, I felt a rather unexpected and hard pinch on my ass, causing me to jump, and then tremble at the unexpected touch. What made this situation go from bad to worse, was that, due to my reaction, I also unthinkingly dropped Edward's steaming hot coffee, causing it to spill not only on the blonde guy's lap, but up my arm as well.

I could feel the searing hot pain, as the splatters of hot liquid hit my skin, causing it to instantly go red, as I hissed in pain.

But my focus on my own burns was cut short, as the chaotic sounds as the frat table fell upon my ears.

"Mike! You freaking idiot!" the guy who had ordered the coke yelled, apparently unhappy that it had gotten the sleeve of his jacket dirty. But as I looked at the guy who I assumed had to be Mike, he jumped up, trying to swipe away the hot liquid that was soaking through his pants, causing him to hiss in pain, as well.

"I'm the idiot, Tyler? She's the one who fucking spilled scalding coffee all over me!" he seethed, shooting Tyler an incredulous and seething look. That only lasted a moment, before his narrowed, angry eyes focused on me, his voice dropping dangerously. "I want to speak to your manager. Now."

My eyes burned with tears, but I absolutely refused to let them fall. "I'll get him for you in just a moment," I spoke quietly, not trusting my voice. My mind was filled with the possibilities of me getting fired, which would end in me being homeless, if I had no money to afford the rent. Surely Rosalie would kick me out if I couldn't pay. I needed this job. I couldn't get fired.

Trying to push those thoughts aside, I realized Edward was still waiting for his coffee, so I silently backed away, going to fix Edward a new coffee. As I was bringing it to him, I could see his eyes watching me cautiously, and his mouth opening slightly, as though he wanted to say something. When I finally reached his table, he did decide to speak.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Fine," I mumbled, silently cursing my own reaction in my head. He had pinched my ass. Really, it wasn't anything that hasn't happened before, but still, it managed to catch me off guard. Now, I may very well lose my job, all because I couldn't control my reaction.

"Let me see," he murmured, his eyes narrowed and troubled, as he held his hand out expectantly. I set his coffee down in front of him, and he just waited, his hand never moving, as he finally looked back up at me. "Let me see your arm, Bella."

"It's fine," I tried to tell him, but as I went to grab my arm with my other hand, pulling it protectively closer to me, I winced in pain as my fingers dug into a few tender spots.

"It's not fine. Let me see," he demanded gently.

Unwillingly, I brought my arm forward, exposing it to his view, as he gently clasped my arm in his awaiting hand. I saw his eyebrows knit together in concentration as he studied my reddened arm.

"You should run it under some cold water for a few minutes, it'll help cool it down," he suggested, as he released my arm, and his gentle eyes looked up to mine. "I'm sorry for what they did," he murmured softly.

I shook my head. "It's my fault for reacting the way I did. And I'm sorry, but I need to go talk to my manager," I said reluctantly, not wanting to face the conversation I was sure to have with Aro.

"Thanks for the coffee," he added, as I turned to walk away. I merely nodded in response, as I made my way into the back office of the cafe, where I knew Aro would be.

I hesitantly knocked on the door to his office, waiting for consent to enter.

"Come in," he grunted, which gave me all the permission I needed to slowly open the door and slink inside.

"What would you like, Isabella?" he asked in a distracted tone, his eyes only lifting briefly to see who it was, before going back to concentrating on the paperwork in front of him.

"Umm, well -" I stammered, scared of even saying the words. "There's someone who asked to speak to the manager," I informed him quickly, fear lacing each word.

This caught his attention, as his head shot up to stare at me. He stood up, heading towards the door as he began to speak "What's the problem?"

"He pinched my...my behind, and I accidentally spilled the coffee I had been holding, onto his lap," I explained in a rush, my eyes squeezing shut involuntarily for a moment.

"What?" he barked. By now, we were entering the main part of the cafe, and at his outburst, multiple heads turned in our direction, including Edward's, I noticed. "Who?" he demanded.

I pointed to Mike, who still wore an angry grimace, as he attempted to use napkins to soak up the dampness of the now cool liquid covering his pants.

"Come on," he demanded, as he strode over to Mike. When he reached the table, however, the words that left his mouth were both expected, yet shocking, all at the same time.

"I'm so sorry about this," he spoke to Mike. "She's clumsy, and she's incredibly sorry, aren't you, Bella?" he pushed.

Biting back my initial reaction, I nodded. "I'm sorry."

"You can have something on the house, due to Bella's poor behavior," he added to Mike.

At that point, I was fighting to keep my jaw from dropping at how he was laying it on so thickly for Mike, as though he was perfectly innocent. I knew this incident wouldn't bode well for me. I wasn't naive enough to believe that. But the way that Aro was going about it was, for some reason, surprising to me, and not in a good way.

Mike smiled a sickeningly sweet and innocent smile at both Aro, and then me, before nodding his approval.

"We'll let you get back to your evening," Aro said kindly, as he eyed Mike's friends, who were seated behind him.

With that, he took hold of my elbow, and pulled me aside, to an empty corner of the cafe.

"What was that all about, Bella? I thought you were a better employee than that."

"It was an accident, Aro. I didn't mean to spill it on him," I tried to explain calmly. Unfortunately, with his next words, my anger got the better of me.

"An accident?" he snorted. "Was this an attempt to get the poor boy's attention?"

"It was an a_ccident_," I spat in perfect clarity. "He pinched my _ass_, which usually takes someone by surprise when it's completely unexpected!"

It was only after the words left my mouth, that I realized that due to how I was speaking to Aro, it was not improving my chances of not being fired over this. As it was, I could tell he was angry, and apparently, blaming the entire incident on me, and me losing my tempter with him would not help me any.

"Excuse me," I suddenly heard a smooth voice just behind me. A second later, Edward stepped forward into my line of vision. I wasn't sure what he was doing, but I was thankful for the slight distraction it provided, giving me a moment to try to calm my temper.

"May I help you?" Aro asked, his tone a mask of calm.

"I couldn't help but overhear your discussion just now, and I'd just like to say that I saw what happened earlier. The kid did touch her inappropriately, which is what caused the coffee - my coffee - to spill on him. It wasn't Bella's fault," he spoke slowly and deliberately.

I held back a smile, internally thankful for Edward attempting to stand up for me, and to help me where Aro was concerned.

"Thank you for letting me know, sir," Aro told him, his voice yet again calm, though dismissive. When Edward made no move to walk away, Aro spoke. "If you'll excuse us, sir, there's a few other things Isabella and I need to discuss."

"Sure," Edward nodded stiffly, his eyes glinting in what I assumed to be irritation. He glanced at me momentarily, and I could have sworn he seemed to be trying to tell me something, but I had no idea what. I simply stared back, until his gaze broke free from mine, and he turned around, ready to go back to his table.

"Isabella," Aro hissed, his elbow nudging my arm. I glanced at him, as he motioned his head in the direction of Edward's retreating form. My brows furrowed in confused for a split second, before realization dawned. I wasn't sure which was more humiliating: getting my ass pinched by a little jerk earlier and spilling coffee all over said jerk...or being forced to speak the phrase I've come to hate during my time working here.

"Have a good day!" I spoke to Edward with fake enthusiasm, and the customary fake smile plastered on my face. But as he turned around at my words, his eyes were anything but friendly - they were angry as he shot a glare at me before marching over to his table.

Once he was seated, Aro instructed that we go to his office to finish our conversation.

"The bottom line, Isabella, is that you're going to have to do better. We can't have you spilling drinks on customers. I don't care if they've pinched you, or done anything else to divert your attention - you need to make sure whatever you're carrying never leaves your hand until you have properly placed it on the table. No, the boy shouldn't have touched you like that, however, the customer is always right, and I can't tolerate you spilling things - especially hot things, that could lead to lawsuits - on customers. So I need you to do better, Isabella. Is that understood?" Aro asked, swiftly upon entering his office after we were seated. I sat there and listened, and took it, knowing that I had no other choice. I wanted to keep my job, and in order to do so, I needed to just accept whatever he said, and go along with it.

"Yes," I spoke quietly, but firmly. "I understand."

"Good. Now that that's all cleared up, get back to work, please. Your shift is still another forty-five minutes."

Not wanting to tempt fate, or risk losing my job any more than I already had tonight, I quickly exited his office.

But by the time I got back into the main portion of the cafe, I also noticed that Edward was long gone. He was no longer at his usual table. So as I went to work taking an order or two, when I made it to Edward's table, I saw that he had left the exact amount for his coffee sitting on the table, along with a generous tip, sitting in a separate pile a few inches away from the cost of his coffee.

As I placed the tip in my pocket, I couldn't help the slight smile it brought to my face. I hadn't had anyone stand up for me in a very long time, and I was very thankful that Edward had tried...even if he ended up glaring at me afterwards.

Not wanting to dwell on that, I quickly cleared his table, and brought it back up to the front counter, as I also retrieved a few more people's orders.

I wished Rose had been working tonight, as well, but I knew she had taken today off because she once again had plans with Emmett. At least if she had been here, knowing her, she probably would have had a few choice words for the frat guys, while I was stuck having a word with Aro.

Thankfully, the rest of my shift was slow and uneventful, and when my forty-five minutes were up, I was tired, stressed, and beyond happy to leave so I could go home, and hopefully try to forget this day as I curled up in bed.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for me, because as I walked out the door of the cafe, and went to start walking in the direction of my apartment, something stopped me in my tracks.

"Bella."

I turned around immediately, looking for who had called my name. And what I saw made me freeze.

There he was, leaning against the front of the brown brick front of the cafe, as he absent-mindedly fiddled with the lit up cell phone that he had in his right hand, as his left rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Edward?" I gasped.

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**There's the second chapter for you! What did you think? Confused with B and E's interactions with one another yet? I think they're confused, too, lol.**

**Next chapter: Find out why Edward's waiting outside for Bella. Will he be friendly, or prone to glaring? And also...what does Rosalie do to bother Bella?**

**As always, review, please, and let me know what you thought. I love hearing what you have to say, and by reviewing, you're also letting me know that you're still interested =).**


	3. Chapter 3

**Finally, a new chapter! I know it's been a while since I updated, so I hope that those of you who alerted the story are going to stick with me still, and still be interested. I'm still very excited about this story, and I hope that you all will be, too, especially as the story progresses. And I don't plan to ditch this story, either =). Also, thank you to everyone who took the time to read, and especially review the first two chapters...means so much to me!**

**Thank you to my beta, Feenrai!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or the characters...or Java Good Day, if there is such a cafe.**

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_Well, all I need  
__Is the air I breathe_  
_And a place to rest_  
_My head_

_Do you know what your fate is?_  
_And are you trying to shake it?_  
_You're doing your best and_  
_Your best look_  
_You're praying that you make it_

_(Say (All I Need) - OneRepublic)_

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**Chapter 3**

"Bella." Edward spoke calmly, though with an odd edge to his voice.

"What are you still doing here? I thought you left?" I questioned him, as I quickly tried to remember how long ago it was that I had noticed him leaving.

"I was waiting for you," he said in an even tone, as his fingers continued to fumble with the phone he still clutched in his hand.

"What?" I spluttered in both confusion and shock. "Why?"

"I wanted to speak to you for a moment," he explained, as his gaze dropped to the floor. "If that's okay with you..." he added.

"Umm, sure," I mumbled, as my curiosity was piqued.

"Mostly, I wanted to make sure that you were okay," he spoke softly, but upon seeing the slight confusion on my face, he gestured to my arm. At the acknowledgement of the injury, I could feel the pain bubble to the surface, especially now that I didn't have work to keep my mind elsewhere.

"Oh, yeah...it's a little sore, but I'm okay," I shrugged, not wanting to disclose too much.

He nodded briefly. "Good. And I also wanted to say that I'm sorry about what that guy did, and for how the rude dark haired guy treated you. He didn't cause any more problems after I left, did he?"

"What, you mean Aro? He's my boss. That's just...the way he is," I explained dismissively. "And no, he pretty much left me alone after that."

His mouth seemed to harden into a thin line, and I could see his jaw tense. I could see the muscles twitch there, as though he was trying to relax them. He ran his hand through his hair and let out a rough breath before he spoke again. "Why did you let him talk to you like that? Why didn't you say anything to him?" he asked in a low, even tone.

I instantly bristled, not liking his unfounded and completely uneccessary anger. "He's my boss, and I need this job. Aro is just Aro: he likes things done a certain way," I responded in a slightly clipped tone.

I could feel my fingers attempting to fiddle with anything, due the slight anxiety and frustration I was starting to feel. They finally settled on the one side of my opened sweater, where the zipper pull dangled.

Edward's hand raked through his hair again and his movements became more stiff.

"There's a difference between liking something done a certain way and being disrespectful to employees who are undeserving of such a horrible attitude. He shouldn't have treated you like that, Bella. That's not right," he spoke emphatically, as his brows furrowed, and he raised his eyes to mine, imploring me to listen to him, to believe him.

"Maybe not, but there was nothing else I could do, Edward. Either way, it's over and done now - it doesn't matter," I told him more calmly, my eyes slipping away from his, as I focused on the zipper pull that I was twisting idly in my fingers.

He sighed, seemingly exasperated. "It matters, Bella. _You _matter, just like everyone else does. That's why I don't get why you let him treat you like that, or why you let him force you to say 'have a good day'. You know I told you before that it wasn't necessary, and it was obvious that you didn't want to say it, so why did you let him force you?" he asked urgently, his tone taking on a hint of anger.

"What choice did I have? God, Edward - use your head! Surely, you've worked somewhere before. Everyone has a boss that they need to listen to, whether they like that person or not, and whether that person is reasonable or not!" I exclaimed, my voice rising in pitch. "It's a fact of life, Edward. Everyone has to do things that they don't want to do..." I mumbled, trying to refocus my thoughts, before this night could go from bad to worse.

Edward sighed, almost more in defeat or resignation than anger this time. He shifted his weight from foot to foot for a moment, before speaking yet again. "I get that, Bella, I do. It's just -"

The problem was, I was already agitated from earlier tonight. The incident with that creep, and then Aro, and now this. Top that off with the irritation that comes along with trying to ignore certain thoughts and I was at the point that I didn't want to hear anything else that Edward had to say.

"Are you about done?" I cut him off. "Because I'm done listening to this shit, and I'd like to go home and go to bed."

He blinked, stunned by my outburst. However, that's all I waited around to see, before I turned and started walking in the direction to go home.

I could faintly hear him calling my name and asking me to wait, but I was too keyed up and too annoyed with my entire day to even consider it. I just continued walking.

By the time I got home and let myself in the door, I started to wonder if I was about to regret coming home, after all.

"Bella!" the large, muscled form of Rosalie's boyfriend, yelled in greeting.

"Hey, Emmett," I forced a smile.

I liked Emmett - it was honestly hard not to like him, but I just wasn't up for dealing with him today. It seemed as though the world was conspiring against me, preventing me from being able to just go to sleep and forget about this day.

"Hi," Rosalie smiled at me, as she sat cuddled into Emmett's side on the couch.

"Hey, Rose. Do you guys mind if I just go to bed?" I questioned, mostly just in an attempt to be polite.

Since moving in, there have been quite a few times where Emmett would be at the apartment when I got home from work, or he would be waiting for Rosalie outside the apartment after her shifts. We would all end up watching a movie or drinking a beer, and they would idly chat, though I would mostly just sit and listen. So, as casual as a relationship as that was, I still didn't want to come across as rude by making it seem as though I was blowing them off if they had planned another night like that for tonight.

"Long night?" Emmett questioned, with a curious glance.

I shrugged. "Something like that."

As I went to head to my room, Rosalie stopped me.

"Oh! Wait, I almost forgot!" her voice was urgent, making me curious. "Emmett and I were going to have a party here tomorrow night, if that's okay with you. Nothing big, just a few friends. Do you mind? Of course, you can invite anyone you want, too," she spoke in a rush, the excitement of the idea clear on her face.

Honestly, I had never been one for parties, nor have they ever been my idea of fun. I was never all that comfortable being in big crowds of people, along with the fact that I've always ended up awkward, at best, in social situations. Rosalie, however, enjoyed social gatherings, and with one look at her face right now, I could see the excitement in her eyes at the prospect of this party. Knowing that she has been nothing but nice to me, I decided to put my own feelings aside.

"Sure, that's fine," I gave a small smile.

"Yes! Thank you, Bella!" Rosalie beamed.

I attempted to go to my room, when I heard Rosalie's voice call out again as I continued to walk.

"And just remember, you can invite anyone you want!"

While the gesture was sweet, I already knew that I wouldn't be inviting anyone - I had no one to invite.

For some odd reason, Edward came to mind, but I quickly cast that thought aside. Whether it was my subconscious having thought he could have come to the party, or just simply still fixating on my confrontation with him earlier, I wasn't sure. Either way, I knew that even if I wanted to consider inviting him, there stood no chance of it now. It could be that I just let my anger get the best of me and that he was just showing concern...but, regardless, I was still angry.

How could he think he could talk to me like that-to practically scold me for doing things Aro's way, and simultaneously for not doing things _his_ way? He had no right to, and even if he was saying it out of some twisted kind of concern, it was still hypocritical and uncalled for. Besides, he doesn't even know me, aside from my name...so why would any of that even matter to him?

Letting out a harsh, aggravated huff, I pushed those thoughts from my mind, not wanting to dwell on them, as I changed into pajamas. I crawled into bed, allowing myself to finally do the one thing I wanted to do all evening: sleep, and forget.

x-x-x

The next day went by quickly, especially since I had allowed myself the pleasure of sleeping in. Today was one of the few days that I had off from work, so I didn't have to worry about dealing with anything today. All I had to worry about was getting through the party.

That evening, when I had just finished showering and applying a bit of make-up, there was a knock on my bedroom door.

Rosalie stuck her head in the door a few seconds later. "Are you almost ready? People are going to be here any minute now."

I took one more quick glance at myself in the mirror, thinking that was as good as it was going to get, before I turned around to face her.

She was wearing a strapless ice blue dress, that emphasized her figure, and her eyes were done up somewhat darkly, with her hair straight. She looked great, and she would make any girl feel inferior, especially a plain one like me.

I was only wearing jeans and a fitted tank top that was embellished with sequins. The bonus to looking like nothing compared to Rosalie, unintentional though it may be, was that it meant that I was likely to avoid any extra attention tonight.

"Yeah, I'm done," I smiled.

Rosalie opened her mouth, about to speak, when Emmett's boisterous voice rang throughout the apartment.

"Edward, my man!"

Unthinkingly, my head whipped in the direction of the door, and I could feel myself freeze. After a second, I realized there was no way it could be Edward. Honestly, it wasn't that uncommon of a name.

"Come on," Rosalie encouraged, as she turned to leave my room, with me slowly following behind her.

I kept my eyes down as I walked, listening as Emmett introduced Rosalie and Edward. It was only when I had almost approached them, that I looked up, and froze.

There he was. Edward. One cream, three sugar, Edward.

After taking a moment, I realized that Edward was staring at me, and Emmett soon followed his gaze. Thankfully, before anyone could say anything, there was another knock on the door, which Rose and Emmett rushed to answer and play host.

I quickly went into the kitchen, looking for anything to do. I grabbed a half empty case of beer and started trying to squeeze as many more bottles into the fridge as possible. While doing so, some of my anger at Edward returned, but with it came slight apprehension. I wasn't sure how he would react to me after the way I left things last night, and the way I had walked off.

I stalled in the kitchen for at least a good five minutes, before I decided I couldn't put it off any longer and made my way into the living room.

Apparently, a group of five other people were the ones who came in after Edward. Two girls and three guys, none of whom I recognized.

Music of Emmett's picking played in the background-loud enough to be enjoyed, but quiet enough to still be able to talk over. Everyone was sitting comfortably, sprawled out on the couches or on the floor, as loud conversation flowed freely.

I snuck back into the room, unnoticed (I hoped), and quietly made myself comfortable on the floor, near the end of the couch.

Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, a few more people filtered inside, now filling our decent sized apartment with a total of twelve guests, Rose, Emmett and I excluded.

It was just after a particularly muscly guy walked in, that Rosalie stood up.

"Good, now everyone's here! Who wants a beer?" she asked the room.

A petite, red-head quickly held up her empty bottle, saying she'd love another, while a few of the people who had just gotten there also readily accepted the refreshment.

But since I could only avoid looking in Edward's direction for so long, especially while feeling his eyes boring into me, I decided to do something to get away for a minute.

"I'll get them, Rose. Just sit," I told her, adding as genuine of a smile as I could.

I made my way into the kitchen, and could hear a deep voice quietly saying something in the living room, but I couldn't make out the words.

That's why, when my head was in the fridge grabbing enough bottles of the starchy liquid, that I didn't notice someone had come into the room. Not, at least, until I straightened up and saw none other than Edward leaning his hip against the kitchen counter as he watched me, with his arms crossed.

Due to his unexpected presence, I almost dropped the drinks from my arms, but managed to collect my bearings before they all slid out of my grasp.

"Sorry," he murmured. What he was apologizing for, I wasn't sure.

"For what? Being a jerk yesterday, or for scaring me just now?" I questioned, cocking my head to the side, and letting my voice come out harder than I had intended.

"Both," he answered immediately, letting his arms drop to his sides, before clumsily shoving them in the pockets of his jeans.

"Good," I retorted, not wanting to allow him to get to me again today. Though, I was observant enough to realize that his eyes seemed sincere. But did that always mean anything?

"I wasn't trying to be a jerk yesterday," he sighed. "I just...wanted to look out for you. To protect you. I feel oddly...protective of you."

I scoffed, and was about to roll my eyes, when he held up his hand, and spoke again, stopping me.

"I know we barely know each other, but you've always been nice to me. I just wanted to help, and to return the favor. That guy and your boss were both being jerks...and, Bella, what you think, and what you want...it matters, and it's important. _You_ are important, and both of those guys yesterday, they were trying to make you feel insignificant, and I didn't want that for you. You deserve more than that."

As sweet as his words were, and as awful as they also made me feel, when I realized he was just trying to show his concern, as unneccessary as it may be...I also knew that he was wrong. I didn't deserve more than that, because what happened last night...that's just how things are; that's just life.

"I appreciate you wanting to help," I conceded, "but it wasn't necessary. It wasn't that big of a deal."

"It is a big deal. You don't deserve that, Bella," he stressed, while taking a step closer to me, and bowing his head down.

"Can we not get into this conversation again, please?" I sighed heavily.

He raised his head back up, and I was greeted by his crooked smile. "Okay. But, I am sorry, though."

"Thank you for that," I told him, somewhat apprehensively.

Honestly, I wasn't too sure what to make of any of this, because it just seemed odd to me. He seemed sincere, but I also knew quite well that, although someone seems sincere, it doesn't always mean that they are. He hadn't given me a reason not to believe him, though, and for that, I supposed I should give him the benefit of the doubt...especially since the tension earlier was horrible, and I would like for it to dissipate. Not to mention, it would also make things at work a lot less awkward.

He simply nodded, and suddenly reached out while stepping closer to me. I stepped back on instinct, unsure of his advance. He paused, looking at me with a peculiar expression, before slowly reaching out to grab some of the beer bottles from my arms.

"These must be getting kind of heavy. I just thought I would take some off your hands...plus, they're probably waiting for them..." he explained, as he stepped back from me, now juggling the majority of the bottles in his arms.

"I'm a waitress," I shrugged, "I'm used to it. But -"

"Hey!" Emmett's voiced filled the kitchen, making Edward and I both jump, followed by a giggled reprimand from Rosalie.

"Shh!" she half-heartedly scolded.

Emmett didn't seem to pay her any mind, as his gaze remained on us. "Hey, so you two have met now!"

"Oh, umm," Edward began, before casting a quick glance in my direction. "Actually, we've met before - at the cafe, where Bella works," he mumbled.

"Oh! I think I may have seen you there a few times..." Rosalie exlaimed, before her perfectly plucked eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Probably," he murmured, with a faint, but cordial smile.

Rosalie eyed me questioningly, and I saw Emmett and Edward exchange an odd look.

The atmosphere became slightly awkward, leaving us all standing within the kitchen, silent, with unspoken thoughts and questions hanging in the air.

"Anyways...beer," Emmett interjected. It was clear he had done some drinking before the guests arrived. "We came to see what happened. Some people are getting a little antsy," he explained, tilting his head towards the living room, gesturing towards the guests.

"We were just coming with it when you came in." I held up a bottle to emphasize the point.

Thankfully, the conversation was dropped, and we all made our way back into the living room. For the next hour or so the alcohol flowed freely, the talking decreased and the laughter increased, as did the volume of the music.

People were now moving around, a few girls dancing near the stereo, while others moved about to join different conversations, or got up to get themselves another drink. While mostly everyone enjoyed the overflowing amounts of beer on hand, I had slunk back into the kitchen earlier and mixed myself up some orange juice and vodka. I couldn't stomach the taste of beer...or scotch.

Having just poured my third glass, I sat back down. Rose and Emmett seemed to float from group to group, seemlessly joining and exiting their conversations - perfectly playing the part of the hosts. Edward, however, didn't seem to be very social. I was vaguely aware of him sticking to speaking to a select few people at the party, though he and I never got another chance to talk more after being interrupted earlier. Chances are, that was for the best, anyway.

I was essentially the loner girl, mostly sitting off by myself, observing the crowd. I mostly just studied the contents of my glass - watching as it slowly disappeared, sip by sip.

Everything was fine, and going as planned...I was also having as much fun as was to be expected, given my aversion to crowds and parties...or even people in general. Then I noticed, however, that voices were getting louder. Rosalie was leading all the girls into her room, their loud chatter filling my ears as they walked by me.

Apparently, they were anxious to see something Rosalie had just purchased. Clothing, I think. I wanted to internally roll my eyes at their eagerness. I wasn't one for shopping, much to Rosalie's dismay.

Deep male laughter filled the room, bringing me out of my thoughts, and causing me to take in my surroundings. My eyes shot open wide, while the rest of my body momentarily froze.

Adrenaline shot through me, and I quickly stood, as my glass slipped from my limp fingers. I sucked in air, but my lungs wouldn't let me release it.

Oh no...

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**There you go, guys...now you know why Edward waited for Bella outside the cafe, even though that didn't end too well. Still think they're a little confused?**

**Next chapter...Why is Bella starting to freak out, and what will happen if she does? And finally, as I'm sure you've been hoping for...there will be more E/B interaction next chapter! ...Though, what can they possibly talk about at this point, and will it lead to them understanding each other a bit better, or just cause more confusing, or even intrigue? Or will it lead to more arguing?**

**Would love to hear what you guys thought, or even your theories about what's causing Bella to freak out, and would also love to know that you're still interested, so please review and let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, I'm so sorry this chapter took so long, but in my fight against writer's block, sadly, it was winning. It's not a very long chapter, unfortunately, but it seems to keep working out that way for this story. It's better than nothing, at least, right? lol. I hope you guys haven't abandoned this story! And I also wanted to thank anyone who's still with me, and hasn't given up on it. Also, for those of you who read Fix You - I'm working on it - I promise!**

**I also want to thank **Capture4Ever **quickly. Thank you for your sweet PM, and encouragement. I appreciate it, so thank you =).**

**Beta'd by _Feenrai _who has been an amazing with helping me get this [and Fix You] written.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight...just a ton of Twilight merchandise.**

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**Chapter 4**

"Not again..." I whispered and shuddered in unison.

I was vaguely aware of the cool dampness soaking into the bottom of my jeans, and the light glinting off of the tiny broken shards of glass surrounding my feet. But none of that mattered to me at the moment. I could already see the edges of my vision going slightly fuzzy and quickly tried to scan the room. Rosalie was in her room. And Emmett - where was Emmett? My eyes shifted rapidly, blurring all the unknown faces in the room together. I could clearly make one thing out: Emmett wasn't in the living room.

One. I could only handle one. Not...not all, not...

I tried to suck in a large breath, but it was useless. Emmett wasn't in the room, he wouldn't be able to stop...to help...

All the sounds-the loud voices and laughter-and the quiet background noise was all blending into one another, creating a low buzzing sound in my ears. I needed to get out of there, but I couldn't seem to make myself move. Every limb was stiff, and stuck in place. I wasn't even sure if I was blinking, because I couldn't look away. I had to see what they were doing.

Through my hazy vision, I could see a guy walking towards me, but my body was useless in making me move. I wanted to move away, to run away, or maybe even scream, but I couldn't. He was right beside me now, and I felt his arm brush against mine. My vision became even worse as tears welled up. Tears that I immediately blinked away, refusing to even let them potentially be seen.

It took me a second to realize that the guy had walked past me. Now though, I could hear someone talking. Someone nearby. I think I heard my name, but it was hard to tell with the buzzing.

"Bella..."

I was trying to focus on the sound, but my eyes were still scanning the room, taking everything and everyone in, and looking for any possible escape routes. My line of vision was blocked suddenly, by a face appearing right in front of mine. I jumped, only to realize it was Edward's face.

"Bella?"

I definitely heard my name that time, and it was coming from Edward. When I didn't respond, and continued to try and scan the room behind his head, he said it again.

"Come on," he murmured, before taking my hand, and wrapping his other arm around my back, trying to lead me away from the room. Finally, my cemented feet moved, trudging along as Edward guided me to...my bedroom?

I probably should have been afraid of where he was leading me, but he was the only thing or person familiar to me in that room full of strangers, and even if he led us off somewhere private...one, I could handle.

I didn't know if he was trying to help, or in some way make things worse. I honestly had no way of knowing, because I didn't even really know him. I was just blindly hoping that his apparent new found protectiveness was why he was doing this. Either way, even in my panic riddled mind, I knew not to let my guard down. There may not be anyone else in my room, but that didn't mean I was necessarily fine.

When he finally managed to maneuver me into my bedroom and shut the door firmly behind us, I made quick work of scanning the room. I let out a shaky sigh of relief when I realized there was no one else in here.

Unfortunately, that fleeting moment of relief didn't last. My head was still swimming, and my vision was still a blurry mess. Edward seemed to realize that relatively fast, because seconds after he closed the door, he was standing in front of me again.

I could see his lips moving, but the whooshing sound in my ears was still making it a little difficult to hear things. I closed my eyes for a minute, trying to focus, and get myself back under control. I wasn't sure how long I stood there with my eyes closed, but at some point, I felt warm hands on each side of my jaw, and could hear a murmur.

I breathed deeply, and squeezed my eyes shut even tighter. It was then that I could hear the low murmur become clearer. Edward was saying my name.

"Bella?" his voice was beginning to sound a little frantic.

I took one deep breath, and slowly opened my eyes. I blinked, surprised at how close his face was to mine. Our noses were inches apart. I gently moved my head a little farther back, though his hands didn't leave my face, nor did his eyes leave mine.

"Bella," he breathed out in what sounded like relief. His eyes scanned me from head to toe, before his eyes locked on mine again. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah," I answered quietly.

"You sure?" he questioned again. I nodded.

He quirked his eyebrow at me, looking a little dubious. "You want to tell me what just happened back there?" he inclined his head in the direction of the living room.

I looked down, not even wanting to look at him, or have him looking at me when asking me questions like that. There was no way I was going to answer him. I stepped back, out of his gentle hands' hold on my face. I shook my head.

"Seriously? You just totally froze out there, and you were shaking like a leaf. You still are." His gaze shifted pointedly to my hands for a second. Sure enough, they were trembling at my sides. I yanked them in front of me, to clasp them at my waist, self-consciously wringing them together.

"I'm fine," I told him weakly. I intended for my voice to come out stronger than that. Stupid, traitorous nerves.

"Bella," he spoke softly now, "you would still be sitting out there sipping your drink, instead of the remnants being on the floor, if you were fine. You freaked out over something, and you know, whether it makes me a pain in the ass or not, I'd like to know what upset you that much, because whatever that was out there just scared the hell out of me." He pointed in the direction of the party for emphasis.

"You're right, it does make you a pain in the ass!" I spat, feeling defensive. There's no way I would tell him why I freaked. I took a calming breath, realizing I was lashing out when he was trying to be nice, and just wanting answers after he saw my meltdown, and also helped me. "I'm sorry," I mumbled, though I did mean it. I didn't want him to be upset due to me and my issues, and I did feel bad that I had freaked him out. I kept my eyes down, not wanting to see how he was looking at me. "I'm fine, I swear. It was nothing."

"Nothing?" he groaned. "That wasn't nothing, Bella," he pleaded softly. "Did someone say something to you? Or do something?"

Even I wasn't dense enough to miss the deep look of concern on his face. That didn't mean he wasn't frustrating the hell out of me, though. I shook my head, and turned to leave. I was done with this conversation, and I wanted to leave before I started to take out my misplaced anger on him. He didn't deserve that, especially not after he had helped me. Though, to be honest, I was angry and ashamed that I had let myself become so weak that he was now witness to that moment of weakness and vulnerability. I was supposed to be strong, but at the moment, I seemed to be the farthest thing from it.

"I need to go," I mumbled, with my eyes cast downward.

I stopped immediately when I felt his long fingers loosely wrap around mine.

"Hey," he nearly whispered. "I don't mean to be so obnoxious and overbearing. I'm just worried about you," he explained softly.

"I know," I told him just as quietly, with my eyes still down. I gave his fingers a gentle squeeze.

"We're friends, or at least...on our way to becoming friends. Why won't you talk to me?" he questioned gently. His tone wasn't intrusive-it was curious, and a little frustrated, and maybe even a tiny bit hurt.

"I thought that's what we were doing," I smirked, still not taking my eyes off of my feet.

He barked out a sarcastic laugh. "Okay, let me rephrase. Why won't you look me in the eye when you talk to me? You've been staring at your feet almost the entire time we've been in here."

"Sorry," I murmured, before slowly lifting my gaze and meeting his eyes, despite the shame I still felt at being so pitifully weak in front of him.

"Thank you," he smiled brilliantly. His gaze seemed to explore my face for a while, and slowly, his smile slid away, only to be replaced with a blank stare, and his lips pressed into a straight line. "I, uhh...I should get going," he muttered, his eyes now looking anywhere but at my face.

"Oh. Okay." I didn't know if I should be pleased or a tiny bit disappointed that he was leaving already. Either way, it's not like it mattered. He was no longer pressing me for information, and that could only be considered a good thing.

"Are you going to be okay here?" he asked, already beginning to head for the door.

I nodded silently, not bothering with words. My answer wouldn't have mattered, anyway, he was already halfway out the door.

I plopped down on my bed, wondering what had just happened. One minute, he was all concerns and smiles, and the next...blank. Empty. I didn't know what to make of it...and I also didn't know how to react to it.

I sat there for a while, trying to decipher his odd behind, but no matter where my thoughts took me, I still came up blank. It was beginning to get frustrating. After a while, I decided it was at least better than focusing on the thoughts that came rushing back to me earlier tonight. Those, I didn't want to think about. However, I didn't particularly want to keep thinking about Edward and his moodiness. I just wanted quiet.

The quiet, however, wasn't coming as I sat in my room. Not only could I hear everyone's loud drunken voices, but also their laughter. What was even louder than that, was the steady stream of thoughts that fought their way into my mind, regardless of how hard I tried to push them out.

I knew I couldn't just sit here. And there was one thought that kept nagging at me. My mess out in the living room. The physical proof of how pathetically weak I am.

In a few quick strides, I was exiting my room, and heading towards the living room, intent on blocking out every single person, and just cleaning up the evidence, so nobody else would see, or think too much of it.

Once I was in the living room, though, I was surprised to find the floor free of glass, and lacking a puddle of liquid. Someone had already cleaned it up.

"Hey, shorty," Emmett said, laying his large arm around my shoulders. I immediately felt my back stiffen when he did, but he seemed too drunk to notice.

"Hi Emmett," I smiled weakly, trying to block out the other people around us. A split second later, Rosalie sauntered over, a wide smile on her face.

"Bella!" she said a little too loudly.

"Hey," I smiled, honestly a tiny bit amused by her drunkenness. She was usually so graceful with her movements, her hair always in perfect order. Right now, though, it appeared that her grace was gone, only to be replaced with clumsiness, and her hair slightly disheveled.

I didn't want to get caught staring, so my eyes dropped down to the now clean floor. Apparently Rosalie noticed.

"Oh, I cleaned that up earlier."

"Uh...thanks, Rose. It just...slipped out of my hand. I'll replaced it, and I'll mop the floors tomorrow before my shift." I let the words out all in a quick breath.

She laughed lightly. "Relax, Bella. It's fine, don't worry about it. There is one thing I wanted to ask you, though. Where were you all night?" she asked me curiously, tilting her head to the side. "Someone said they saw you and Edward go into your room, and then once he came out, he barely stopped to tell Emmett he was leaving, before ducking out the door."

"Yeah, what were you up to?" Emmett nudged me jokingly, a dimpled grin on his face as he waggled his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head quickly. "Nothing like...that," I mumbled. "I just...after I, uh, dropped my drink, he helped me into my room so I wouldn't step on the glass, since I didn't have any shoes on." That was believable, right?

Both of their eyes appraised me, almost as though they knew there was more to it, but said nothing, aside from the simple "okay" that left Rosalie's lips a moment later.

"I'm going to go to bed," I told them quickly, suddenly desperate to be back in my room, away from everyone and everything. I slipped out from Emmett's arm, and turned to head to my room.

"Aww, you're not joining the party?" Emmett practically whined. Oh, yes, he was very drunk.

"Sorry," I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. I was halfway to my room, before Emmett spoke again in a last ditch effort to have me stay.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want to join the party? Look what I've got for you," he taunted.

I turned around, only to see my nearly full bottle of vodka in his hands, the one I had specifically bought for myself about a week ago. I stalked back over to him, and took it from his hand.

"Thanks!" I called out, as I made a quick get away to my room, locking myself inside, about to have my own little private party. Just me and the vodka.

I wanted the thoughts to stop. The thoughts of Edward. The thoughts of the flashback. I stripped off my jeans and flopped myself onto my bed, before placing the bottle against my lips, and swallowing as much as I could before the burn became too intense. I gulped a few times, waiting for the burn to subside, before repeating the process a few more times.

I wanted to forget, and I was going to make damn sure the alcohol did just that.

It couldn't have been much later that I saw that I had drank nearly a third of the bottle. I could feel my head swimming, and every limb and muscle felt relaxed as I lay there, the bottle still clutched in my hand. I was officially drunk enough that I could no longer remember my phone number, without putting way too much effort into it. I assumed I was drunk enough to keep the thoughts away, and let it lead me into a dreamless slumber. Just for good measure, I gulped down another few mouthfuls, before haphazardly placing the bottle on the ground beside the bed.

I laid on my stomach, the blankets only partially covering me, but I really could care less, even if I didn't have pants on. I shut my eyes, and welcomed the darkness as it pulled me under.

The problem with the darkness, however, is that you can't control it. The darkness allows your mind to conjure up whatever it pleases. Unfortunately for me, the reason behind my meltdown were the visions that plagued me the whole night, making me toss and turn, and potentially scream. Whether the shrill piercing scream was only in my mind, or also part of my reality, I wasn't sure.

I also wasn't entirely sure if I only dreamed of someone stumbling into my room, and stroking my hair for a moment, before I was being enveloped in the warmth of the blanket, and my mind was finally, truly, blissfully black.

* * *

**Oh boy, so...we get to see some more of Bella's issues, to the point of self-destructive behavior to try and avoid said issues. and could it be that Edward has some issues of his own?**

**Next chapter: Find out who snuck into Bella's room. Plus, what will happen when Edward and Bella see each other again? Will it be awkward, after Bella's embarrassment over her meltdown, and after Edward's quick departure? And will it ruin the level of friendship they've reached, or ultimately make it stronger?**

**I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, or at least your theories! Leave a review and let me know you're still interested...and tell me your thoughts and theories! (why Bella freaked, why Edward took off, or who snuck into Bella's room, etc)**


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